Name: Sweet Potato and Sausage Chilli
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American and Tex-Mex-inspired
Ingredients: 600 g — sweet potatoes — Weight before peeling.; 400 g — raw Italian pork sausage — Fresh, not smoked or cured; preferably mild and seasoned with fennel. Remove the skins.; 1 pcs — red pepper — Large; remove the core and seeds.; 1 pcs — onion — Large.; 800 g — tinned chopped tomatoes — Include the juices.; 2 tsp — mild chilli con carne spice blend — Choose a blend containing cumin, paprika and chilli, preferably without salt. Do not use this quantity of pure ground hot chilli.; 300 ml — water; to taste — salt — Season at the end, as the sausage and spice blend may already be salty.

Ingredients

Servings

4 servings · metric units

For a larger batch, use a suitably larger pan and brown the sausage in batches so it fries rather than steams. The sweet potatoes will take a similar time to soften, but browning and bringing the whole pan to a simmer will take longer.

Jump to the method →

sweet potatoes600 gWeight before peeling.
raw Italian pork sausage400 gFresh, not smoked or cured; preferably mild and seasoned with fennel. Remove the skins.
red pepper1 pcsLarge; remove the core and seeds.
onion1 pcsLarge.
tinned chopped tomatoes800 gInclude the juices.
mild chilli con carne spice blend2 tspChoose a blend containing cumin, paprika and chilli, preferably without salt. Do not use this quantity of pure ground hot chilli.
water300 ml
saltto tasteSeason at the end, as the sausage and spice blend may already be salty.

Substitutions

Substitute amounts are adjusted to your selected servings.

Instead of raw Italian pork sausageraw Polish white pork sausage
Choose raw, not pre-cooked, coarsely ground sausage of a similar weight. Remove the skins and cook as for the Italian sausage. Marjoram and garlic will replace the characteristic fennel flavour, so the result will taste different. Add salt only after tasting the finished sauce.
Instead of tinned chopped tomatoestinned whole plum tomatoes
Choose a similar weight of tomatoes including their juice. Crush them in a bowl before adding to the pan; larger pieces will give a chunkier texture than chopped tomatoes.

You’ll need

Wide, heavy-based saucepan with a lid, approximately 4 litres · Knife and chopping board · Vegetable peeler · Wooden spoon or spatula · Kitchen scales, measuring jug and measuring teaspoon

Method

0/6 steps

01
Prepare the ingredients
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into even pieces about 2 cm across. Deseed the pepper and cut into similar-sized pieces, then finely chop the onion. Remove the sausage skins.
Prepare the ingredients.
02
Brown the sausage
Put 400 g of sausage meat into the pan over a medium heat. Cook for about 8 minutes, breaking it into small chunks with a spatula. Allow the fat to render first, then stir occasionally until the meat is visibly browned. Leave the meat and rendered fat in the pan.
08:00
Brown the sausage.
03
Soften the vegetables
Add the onion and pepper. Cook over a medium heat for about 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent and the pepper begins to soften. It does not need to be completely tender yet.
06:00
Soften the vegetables.
04
Add the spices and tomatoes
Stir in 2 tsp of chilli con carne spice blend and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, without letting it burn. Add the sweet potatoes, 800 g of chopped tomatoes with their juices and 300 ml of water. Stir well, scraping the browned bits from the base. Increase the heat and bring to a gentle simmer, allowing about 5 minutes.
Add the spices and tomatoes.
05
Simmer until tender
Reduce the heat and simmer for 25–30 minutes with the lid slightly ajar. Stir occasionally, reaching the bottom of the pan. Remove the lid for the final 5–10 minutes to thicken the sauce. The sweet potatoes should pierce easily with a fork while holding their shape, and the sausage must be fully cooked with no raw centre. The sauce should coat the ingredients rather than resemble soup.
30:00
Simmer until tender.
06
Season and serve
Taste the sauce and season with salt as needed. Stir gently to avoid crushing the sweet potatoes, then serve hot in deep bowls.
Season and serve.

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Tips

Cut the sweet potatoes into even pieces about 2 cm across: very small pieces will break down before the sauce thickens.
If the sausage starts sticking before its fat renders, reduce the heat. Avoid starting it in a fiercely hot pan.
Once the sweet potatoes are tender, stir gently to keep the pieces intact.
If the sauce is too thin, simmer uncovered for a few extra minutes. If it thickens before the sweet potatoes are tender, add a splash of water.

Storage

Divide the finished, fully cooked chilli into smaller portions, cool promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Keep in a sealed container for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge. Reheat in a saucepan, stirring, until piping hot throughout, adding a little water if needed. Reheat only the portion you intend to eat.

Timing

Hands-on: 25 min · Cooking: 50 min

Sweet Potato and Sausage Chilli